Fence



0. H. WOODWORTH.

Portable Fence. I

No. 30,780. Patented Nov. 27, 118604.

tf e et o Q o o o o o VC) CJ |ev C, o

Lfr v En; Phmeumognphr. wanting n c.

ATE'I OFFICE.

FENCE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 80,780, dated November 2'?, 1860.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O. II. VooDwoRTH, of Upper Marlborough, in the county of Prince George, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved Method of Constructing and Uniting the Panels of Portable Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.-

,The nature of my invent-ion consists in so constructing the panels of portable fences that the corresponding ends of the rails, boards, or planks composing the dierent panels are independently and separately lunited in line to each other by means of a peculiarly-formed joint in connection with the jaws of a bracket or double brace for the purpose of securely uniting the panels of portable fences in such a manner as to admit of great economy of material used, strength and stability of the fence when put together, and rapidity and ease of constructing the panels, putting them together, and taking them apart.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

I usually construct the panels of my fence of sawed rails, boards, or planks of any desired thickness length and breadth, by nailing or otherwise fastening two or more pieces across the planks, rails, or boards composing the different panels to hold them together in the usual manner; and also prepare the separate ends of the different planks boards or rails of each panel in such a manner as to correspond with the ends of the planks, rails, or boards of other panels, so that when the different panels are placed with their ends together and in a. continuous line, the corresponding boards, planks, or rails of the different panels shall fit into each other and form joints as shown at A, A, A, Fig. l. These joints are formed by sawing or otherwise cutting into the ends of each plank, board, or rail composing the different panels perpendicularly to the plane of its width and parallel to its length as far as the required length of the joints, and then cutting and forming a wedge-shaped part on each side of the place sawed or otherwise cut into the ends of the boards, planks, or rails as aforesaid, care being always taken to cut or scarf these two wedge-shaped parts in opposite directions and with special reference to their fitting the ends of the planks, boards, or rails of other panels thus prepared or to be prepared. The corresponding planks, rails, or boards being thus prepared with reference to each other, the panels are placed together and the reversed wedge-shaped, or alternated scarf joints are thus fo-rmed and used to unite the panels of portable fences.

The bracket, or double brace a, Fig. 1, has its jaws 0, 0, made just sufficiently far apart to admit a single thickness of plank, board, or rail coming between them; and being thus made are placed over the joints as shown for the purpose of firmly securing the oints, and also answer as a support for the fence.

When the jaws of the bracket or brace vare made as invented and used by me, the

driving or otherwise forcing the different panels together will cause the parts of the joints to spread and be held firmly by the jaws of the bracket or brace: thus the bracket or brace is made to perform the double oflice of supporting the fence and firmly holding t-he panels together. When the panels of portable fences are joined together in this manner, the following advantages I believe will result from the same: lst, the fence will cost much less than any heretofore known or used, from the fact that there is no necessity of using crosspieces or strips across the ends of the panels for the purpose of uniting them; 2nd, the amount of lumber wasted in forming the joints is very inconsiderable; 3d, owing to the nature of the joints it will be quite difficult to separate them by lateral or upward pressure; 4th, the fence will present a much neater appearance than those in which crosspieces, and other cumbersome devices are used to connect the different panels.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Uniting the panels of portable fencesby means of the reversed-wedgefshaped or alternate scarf joints in connection with the jaws of the bracket or brace to securely hold the joints, A together, substantially as described.

O. H. WOODWORTI-I. Witnesses:

C. R. BENSON,

JNO. G. GARDNER. 

